


I Have Found What You Are Like

by RevolutionariesDontWearPlaid (GhostGrantaire)



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Teachers, M/M, Mutual Pining, Secret Santa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-23
Updated: 2015-12-23
Packaged: 2018-05-08 15:43:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5503439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GhostGrantaire/pseuds/RevolutionariesDontWearPlaid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Courfeyrac is the new English teacher who's eager to make friends.  Combeferre is the biology teacher.  Cue Secret Santa, misunderstandings, and a whole lot of pining.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Have Found What You Are Like

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lesmiserablol](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lesmiserablol/gifts).



> For the prompt: "you were my secret Santa and you actually left me some really sweet notes and super thoughtful gifts and I kinda fell in love"
> 
> This kind of got away from me (it was definitely not meant to be 6000 words) but I hope you enjoy it! Happy holidays!
> 
> Title from the e.e. cummings poem of the same name

“I hate Secret Santa,” Enjolras complained for what must have been the twentieth time that week.“There’s no point in buying meaningless presents for people you’re not close with just because of a holiday.”

“Enjolras, it’s just supposed to be a nice exchange of gifts to make people happy.”Combeferre said patiently.

“I know that.But I’m not friends with half the staff, and if I get one of their names, what am I supposed to get them?”

“Just use it as an opportunity to get to know them better.Or do what you always do, and buy them a gift card.”Combeferre rationalized as he pulled open the door to the staff room.Enjolras continued to grumble, but he quieted down as they sat at the nearest table next to Feuilly.

After the rest of the teachers had filtered in and found various spots to sit around the room— the staff room wasn’t exactly big enough to fit the entire staff, due to the fact that it was actually meant to be the Home Ec room, but many of the teachers (read: Enjolras) had insisted that the kids needed more space— Principal Valjean stood up and quieted everyone down.

“Alright, everyone, this is just a quick meeting to finalize some things for the end of this semester,” Valjean started, and continued to briefly clarify some procedural questions about testing and exams.After a while, the conversation sidetracked to mention some budgeting issues, and later Joly stood up to talk a bit about flu season.

“Okay, just a couple more things to go over, and then you can go do whatever weird things you teachers get up to on Wednesday nights.Feuilly’s planning our holiday party this year, which will be held on the 21st, which is the Friday before final exams.That’s also when we’ll reveal the gift exchange.Which, while we’re on the subject, we need to draw names for!”

There was a short mix of cheers and groans— although Enjolras was the only one participating in the latter— as Valjean began making his way around the room with a hat full of names.

 ~~~~~

Courfeyrac was determined.This was his first Christmas at this new school, and Secret Santa was the perfect opportunity to make a, preferably good, first impression of himself to most of the staff.Of course, he’d met everyone already, but introductions only said so much about your personality.But he was a self-proclaimed king when it came to gift giving, and he was sure to leave everyone in awe of his presents and soon enough they would all flock to him and invite him out to drinks for the rest of the month.

…Or not, most likely.But it’d still be nice to get on better terms with his fellow staff members.He exchanged the occasional friendly smiles in the hallways, and traded a few jokes during lunch, but he’d been so overwhelmed with getting to know his students more and getting a feel for the new school that he hadn’t really made any _friends._ Thank God he and Bossuet had known each other before the switch, so he wasn’t completely alone.

He looked down at his slip of paper again. _Henri Combeferre._ He snuck another glance at the Biology teacher, who was drinking out of a thermos and listening intensely to Grantaire, the art teacher, rant about the arts budget.Courfeyrac didn’t know much about Combeferre.Actually, he knew nothing about Combeferre besides that he was the biology teacher.But he had a nice smile, and wore cool ties, and apparently biked to school everyday, so he couldn’t be that bad of a guy.

All he needed to do now was find out what Combeferre liked and disliked and work around that.He supposed he could always ask the other teachers, but that ruined the anonymity, which was Courfeyrac’s favorite part.

There were worse fates than having to spend time with the hot biology teacher.

~~~~~

“Hello?Combeferre?”Combeferre looked up, surprised to see Courfeyrac sticking his head in and knocking belatedly on the door.  It was 4:40 on Friday, and most of the teachers had left by this point.

“Courfeyrac, hello.”His pen paused in midair, and he was unsure on whether on not he should stand up and greet him.They’d barely talked so far this year, but he knew Bossuet was friends with Courfeyrac, so he supposed he must be a nice guy.“Can I help you?”

“Maybe,” Courfeyrac replied vaguely, making his way into Combeferre’s classroom.He took a moment to look around at all of the old projects and posters on the wall, and Combeferre stayed silent as he did so.Finally, the new teacher looked at him with a stunning grin.“For the past four Friday’s, I’ve done nothing but sit in and try to sort out curriculum and get my apartment under control.But now I have nothing to grade, and all of my boxes are put away, so I thought I’d do something fun.However, I have absolutely no idea what to do for fun here, so I thought I’d ask for some suggestions.”

_Oh._ “Oh,” he voiced aloud.He wasn’t sure what he’d expected when Courfeyrac had waltzed into his room, but it certainly wasn’t this.Not many people asked Combeferre for advice on things like this.“I’m really not the best person to ask, I’m afraid.I think Bahorel or Grantaire might be better suited to handle questions like that.”

He offered a small apologetic smile, but it seemed like Courfeyrac wasn’t taking no for an answer.“Why’s that?”

Combeferre shrugged.“I’m not exactly the most exciting guyhere.”

“ Don’t you ever do things for fun?” Courfeyrac asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh course I do, I’m just not sure you would find them that interesting.We’re very different people,” Combeferre said, and then frowned, wondering if that was rude.Courfeyrac didn’t seem fazed however, and just continued to smile.

“How would you know?Why don’t you just tell me what you do for fun, and I’ll tell you if I’m interested or not.”The younger teacher had hopped up on a desk by this point, and was leaning his elbows on his knees like they were about to start playing a very fun game.

Combeferre bit his lip, hesitantly.It couldn’t hurt, right?He capped his pen and tried to think of what to say.“Well, there’s a small cinema on Market Street that plays a bunch of documentaries and indie films, and that can be interesting.And there’s a great natural history museum downtown by the park,” he offered unsurely.

Luckily, Courfeyrac didn’t seem disappointed by the suggestions.“Yeah?That sounds awesome.What’s the museum like?”

“There’s a really interesting butterfly garden and insectarium.If you’re into that,” Combeferre offered.

“As long as it’s not all spiders,” Courfeyrac responded with a chuckle.“I’m sort of arachnophobic.”

“Oh, I’m sorry about that… You probably shouldn’t go to the back of my classroom then,” he said apologetically, thinking about all of the posters of spiders and, worst of all, the actual living tarantula.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”Courfeyrac laughed, and Combeferre couldn’t help but smile in response.Courfeyrac’s cheeriness seemed to be contagious. “Any good coffee shops?Or are you more of a tea guy?”

“Both, actually.But yes, The Musain on Lamar has great drinks, and amazing panini’s too.Enjolras and I eat there all the time.”

“Nice to know.”Courfeyrac hesitated for a second before continuing with, “hey, I don’t mean to be nosy, but are you and Enjolras dating?Not that it really changes anything, I just feel like I’m out of the loop about, well, everything.”

Combeferre laughed and pushed up his glasses.“I don’t mind, it’s alright.But no, we’re not, we’re just friends.”

“Alright, good to know.”He frowned.“Who _is_ dating?”

“Marius and Cosette, although those two are pretty obvious.And I believe Feuilly and Bahorel are as well, though I’m not actually quite sure.To be honest, most of what I know is rumors about which kids are dating.”

“Well which kids are dating?”Courfeyrac asked with a laugh.

“Quite a few.Ask Bossuet if you want all of the information.The kids tell him everything,” Combeferre admitted.“Besides, junior drama is much more interesting than freshmen drama, I’m afraid.”

“Well, it’s nothing compared to seniors.Of course, they all just stop caring about everything during the second semester.That always makes things more exciting.”

Combeferre still wasn’t sure why Courfeyrac seemed so interested in him, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care.“How has the transition to freshmen been for you?”

“Good, actually.It’s a weird change, but these kids are cute, so I don’t mind.”Courfeyrac shrugged.

Combeferre was about to respond when Enjolras poked his head in.“Hey,” he started, pausing when he saw Courfeyac.“Oh, hello, Courfeyrac.‘Ferre, are you ready to go?”

“Oh yeah, sorry, Enj.”Combeferre gave Courfeyrac an apologetic smile.“I’m sorry, I have to run.I’ll, um, see you later this week?”

Courfeyrac just grinned at him and nodded enthusiastically.“Yeah, sounds good.Have a good day!Thanks for the help.” 

“Anytime,” Combeferre said sincerely, watching with a confused smile as Courfeyrac made his way into the hallway.

 ~~~~~

Over a week had passed since Courfeyrac had began his mission Befriend Combeferre: (Name Still in Progress), and it'd been going well.  After their conversation on Friday, they'd eaten lunch together once when they'd discussed winter (Courfeyrac had learned not to buy Combeferre any socks since he owned a hundred pairs already) and then on Wednesday, Courfeyrac had roped Combeferre into helping him figure out the copier.  Not that he needed any help, really.  All copiers were basically the same.

Combeferre was quirkier than he'd first thought, but in a good way.  He seemed to know quite a bit about astronomy, despite being a bio teacher, as well as politics and literature.  Courfeyrac enjoyed listening to him, even though sometimes Combeferre would get a bit carried away and everything he said would go over Courfeyrac's head.

But it was nice to have another friend, especially one as interesting as Combeferre.  He was complex, but not hard to read, which helped Courfeyrac out greatly in his quest.

~~~~~

It was eight o'clock on Thursday night when Combeferre got the first text.

_**[Unknown Number:]** hey this is Courfeyrac, i got ur number from Bossuet- hope you dont mind! _

He put down the book he was reading and smiled at the text.  He wasn't sure why it had taken so long for him and Courfeyrac to hang out, but he was excited it was happening now.  If you could call two conversations plus one copier tutorial "hanging out".

_**[Combeferre:]** Of course not.How are you?_  
_**[Unknown Number:]** :) great! i had a question, and i thought you could help me out_  
_**[Combeferre:]** What is it?_  
_**[Unknown Number:]** Is white chocolate actually chocolate?_

Combeferre couldn't help but laugh quietly as he read the question.  He took a second to create a new contact for the English teacher before shooting back his response.

__**[Combeferre:]**???  
[ **Combeferre:]** Why didn’t you just look it up?  
_**[Courfeyrac:]**   Yasmeen asked me in class today and its been bugging me all day._  
_**[Courfeyrac:]** & my wifi isnt working_  
_**[Combeferre:]** Of course. Well, some producers don’t use real chocolate, but actual white chocolate IS chocolate if it contains cocoa butter/cocoa mass :)_  
_**[Courfeyrac:]** then why doesn’t it taste like chocolate_  
_**[Combeferre:]** I don’t have an answer for you there. I’ve never eaten white chocolate_  
_**[Courfeyrac:]**  :O_  
**[Courfeyrac:]** im so disappointed

They continued to text for the next couple of hours, talking about everything from coffee to Disney to immigration policies, not ending until Combeferre could barely keep his eyes open.

~~~~~

“Courfeyrac?”Courfeyrac looked up in confusion before spotting Combeferre, who was holding two grocery bags. It was Saturday afternoon, and Courfeyrac was at trying out an organic grocery store he'd found, which, of course, Combeferre apparently shopped at.“I thought it was you.”

“Hey Combeferre,” Courfeyrac replied with a smile.“What are you up to?”

Combeferre shrugged, pushing up his glasses.“Just buying food for the weekend.”He glanced down at his bags.“I’m not exactly a Master Chef, so it’s mostly pasta.”

Courfeyrac chuckled and shook his head as he mentally crossed off cooking supplies in his head for Combeferre.“I’m surprised at you.You seem to know how to do everything else.”

Combeferre just laughed and looked away.They stood in silence for a moment, and Courfeyrac desperately searched for something to say, but he was drawing up blanks.For some inscrutable reason, he was desperate to extend this conversation.  Ever since they'd texted on Thursday night, Courfeyrac found himself constantly thinking about the other man.  It didn't help that Combeferre was not only wicked smart, but also witty and hilarious when he wanted to be, and Courfeyrac found himself replaying jokes in his head during his classes.

“Well, I should probably—“ Combeferre spoke up with a small smile, but Courfeyrac cut him off suddenly.

“Ice skating!” He exclaimed, alarming Combeferre.The taller man startled slightly, before looking interested.“There’s an ice skating rink a couple of blocks away.I was going to check it out after this.”

“Oh, yeah, they do it every year.It’s really nice.” Combeferre said, smiling again.

“Would you like to go with me?It’s kind of sad to ice skate by yourself,” Courfeyrac explained, trying not to sound desperate.He knew this was probably a bad idea, but he might as well just flow with it at this point.

“Oh,” Combeferre responded, clearly surprised.“I… are you sure?”

Well, it wasn’t a no.“Yes!I mean, you don’t have to, I know it’s last minute, but it could be fun.”

“I suppose it couldn’t hurt,” Combeferre said slowly, giving him a strange smile.

“Really?I mean… great.”He paused.“Did you drive here, or…?”

“No, I live right by here, I just biked.You?”

“Took the bus,” Courfeyrac explained.“We could just walk over, if you’d like.”

“That sounds great,” Combeferre said with a smile, and he really needed to stop smiling like that because it was doing strange things to Courfeyrac’s chest. _Oh no._

_~~~~~_

“Hello Gavroche.How was your weekend?”Combeferre asked, unsurprised to see the freshman sitting outside his room.Combeferre wasn’t completely sure what Gavroche’s home situation was, and he didn’t question it, but he knew the Éponine, Gavroche’s older sister who seemed to act as his guardian, worked often, so Gavroche spent most of his time at school.Combeferre had never minded; the boy, although outspoken and rambunctious at times, had a quick mind, and always stood up for what he believed in.Perhaps the only task that Enjolras and Grantaire had ever worked together on was helping Gavroche avoid an unreasonable suspension.

Gavroche shrugged and hopped up, following Combeferre inside as he unlocked the door.“Alright, I suppose.I made a shit ton of cream cheese icing.”

Combeferre hummed, ignoring the language.“What for?”

“Absolutely nothing,” Gavroche replied with a grin, and Combeferre couldn’t help but chuckle in return.

Gavroche dumped his backpack at his usual table and pulled out his phone.He began to mess around on it, and Combeferre used this time to pull out his computer and double check his email.

“So,” Gavroche said after about five minutes of silence.Combeferre blinked and looked up, frowning when he saw the boy’s mischievous grin.“Tilly told me that she saw you and Mr. Courfeyrac at the ice skating rink on Saturday.”

Combeferre sighed.There was no reason that he should deny it— it’s not as if they were together— but the last thing he needed were rumors to spread.“Yes, I ran into him as he was on his way over.”

“She said you were laughing and holding hands.”Gavroche said, raising his eyebrows.

Combeferre cursed internally.Of course she’d seen that.It hadn’t meant anything.Courfeyrac had acted very confident about the whole affair until they were actually on the ice, and then he could barely stay upright.Holding hands was simply a safety precaution.

“We’re friends, Gavroche,” putting a special emphasis on the second word.“Besides, I hold hands with Enjolras all the time, and you never question that.”

“Yeah, but that’s _Enjolras,_ ” Gavroche retorted, and for some reason, he had a point.“I’m not judging, you know.He’s awesome, and you’re awesome.You’d be good together.”

“Gavroche…” he said warningly, causing the teenager to roll his eyes and slump down in his seat.

“Fine.You can be so boring sometimes,” Gavroche muttered.Combeferre shot him a stern look, and Gavroche had the decency to look sheepish before pulling out a folder from his backpack and working on some math problems.

Combeferre stayed silent and worried his lip with his teeth.  It wasn't as if he hadn't thought about Gavroche's suggestions before.  It wasn't everyday you met someone as charming and witty as Courfeyrac.  He liked their friendship, and he wasn't planning on letting it go, but part of him wondered what it would be like to be something more.

Combeferre’s phone buzzed soon after, and he looked down, unsurprised to see Courfeyrac's name appear.

_ **[Courfeyrac:** ] My sister just demanded I watch all three Jurassic Park movies with her this wknd and I realized that u (the biggest dino nerd i know) have never told me your opinions on the trilogy _

Combeferre shook his head fondly and typed out a response.

_**[Combeferre:]** Joly is a bigger dino nerd than me. Bossuet probably beats me too_  
_**[Courfeyrac:]** u didn’t answer my question_  
_**[Combeferre:]** The first movie is amazingly perfect.  Despite it’s (lack of) scientific facts_  
_**[Courfeyrac:]** And the 2nd and 3rd?_  
_**[Combeferre:** ] The science teacher part of me hates them, but the film geek part of me loves them.  It puts me in a difficult position_  
_**[Courfeyrac:]** You are such a dork :P_

_~~~~~_

Time passed quickly as finals neared and all of the students (and some of the teachers) descended into oceans of stress.  Joly, the school nurse, was horrified by the number of kids coming into his office from lack of sleep or eating.  Courfeyrac himself had had a small breakdown because he hadn't realized they had changed the formatting of the grade site, and thought he had deleted everything.  However, despite his busy schedule, Courfeyrac always made time to squeeze Combeferre in.

By that point, it was customary for Courfeyrac to eat lunch wherever Combeferre was, and they were constantly texting on their breaks about whatever popped into their heads. And if Courfeyrac silently freaked out about Combeferre's smile and eyes and hands and glasses which were always dirty, well, nobody had to know.

Courfeyrac was one of the first people to arrive at the holiday party, but that did make sense, seeing as he helped set up.He’d volunteered to help out Feuilly with the decorations since Bahorel, who was meant to help out, had fractured his wrist and couldn’t move all the ladders.It’d been nice to get to know Feuilly; Courfeyrac wasn’t sure he’d ever heard a met someone so determined and complex. 

Twenty minutes after the party had officially started, the door swung open and Combeferre walked in with Enjolras.They were deep in conversation, like they always were, but they quieted as they walked over to the food table where Courfeyrac was mingling.Both of them smiled at Courfeyrac and said hello once they were within hearing range.

“Hi Courfeyrac.I like the sweater,” Enjolras said, nodding towards Courfeyrac’s sparkly sweater with a llama dressed as Santa Claus.  He hadn't spent as much time with Enjolras as he had with Combeferre over the past month, but they were so often together that Courfeyrac wasn't sure if he could've avoided Enjolras if he'd tried.  The government teacher was a bit more intense than his science counterpart, but Courfeyrac liked his passion and dry sense of humor.

“Thanks Enjolras,” Courfeyrac responded happily.Combeferre was just smiling at him with that sincerity that he couldn’t seem to find in anyone else.

They chatted about their weeks for a few minutes before Enjolras got called over by Bossuet to recount a story about one of his classes, leaving Courfeyrac and Combeferre alone.

“Hey, thanks for the recommendation for The Musain.I may have eaten an entire pie from there this weekend.”Courfeyrac admitted with a smirk.

Combeferre laughed.“Well I’m glad you like it.”

Combeferre seemed to be radiating happiness so much so that he seemed to be sparkling.Courfeyrac pushed the sappy thoughts out of his head, and asked, “what put you in such a good mood?”

Combeferre looked down, and Courfeyrac guessed that if he had lighter skin, his cheeks would have turned red. “I got a really great Secret Santa gift, that’s all.”He looked happy, but not exactly knowing or suspicious, so Courfeyrac wasn’t worried he’d been guessed.

Courfeyrac felt like he could fly at that moment, but he kept his happiness at bay, and somehow managed to sound casual.“Yeah?What’d you get?”

“I can’t tell you, that would ruin the surprise.”Combeferre said with raised eyebrows, making Courfeyrac roll his eyes.

“You’re so boring sometimes,” he pouted, but his smile made sure that he was joking.

Combeferre just laughed before looking down at his hot chocolate seriously.“Hey, since it’s almost break and I probably won’t see for some time, I was wondering—“

A voice cut him off over the P.A. system, announcing the start of the Secret Santa reveal.Courfeyrac could barely hear it, and he had to keep himself from shaking Combeferre’s shoulders to get him to continue.He’d been waiting for weeks to hear something like that from Combeferre, and now he’d have to wait even longer.

“We should go.” Combeferre nodded over to the stage where everyone was taking a seat, a bit of his happiness tempered down.

“Yeah,” Courfeyrac said with a forced smile.“We’ll talk after, yeah?”

They made their way over, Combeferre getting pulled down to sit by Enjolras, leaving Courfeyrac to sit by Bahorel and Grantaire.Holiday cheer was beginning to seep back into his bones as he got hyped for the reveal. 

“Alright,” Valjean started as he stood in the middle of the circle that had formed.“I never know the best way to do this, and I know we end up doing it differently every year.This year, we’ll just start with one person, and they’ll say what they got, and then their Secret Santa will speak up.We’ll go on from there!Feuilly, since you planned this whole party, why don’t you go first?”

Feuilly smiled widely.“I got a [beautiful copy of The Gift of the Magi](http://www.amazon.com/Gift-Magi-O-Henry-ebook/dp/B0167QVMH0/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1450862368&sr=1-5&keywords=the+gift+of+the+magi), and this hand-knitted [Hufflepuff scarf](https://www.etsy.com/listing/257687073/harry-potter-scarf-hufflepuff-scarf-high?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=hufflepuff%20scarf&ref=sc_gallery_3&plkey=416ed23ca3869026268b647690746a6bb89cf0b7:257687073),” he gestured to his black and gold scarf that was draped around his shoulders.

“And Feuilly’s Secret Santa was…” Valjean glanced around the room until Cosette raised up her hand.

“Me!” She exclaimed happily and Feuilly got up to hug her briefly and praising her for the gifts.

After they’d settled back down, Cosette went on to describe her gift— a[ Lord of the Rings themed clock](https://www.etsy.com/listing/247195996/hobbit-meal-times-lord-of-the-rings?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=lord%20of%20the%20rings%20clock&ref=sc_gallery_1&plkey=a7fa0d00b6bc22364e16f1d579a94dcb67e318ed:247195996) for her room— which was given to her by Bahorel, and it continued from there.After several more hugs and excessive thank you’s had been exchanged, Combeferre raised his hand to take credit for Joly’s gift of bath bombs and a [bee shirt he'd been wanting for a while](https://www.etsy.com/listing/216477129/the-bees-knees-short-sleeve-button-up?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=bee&ref=sr_gallery_3).

As he settled back in, Combeferre was grinning widely.“My amazing Secret Santa gave me three ties— [one with moths](https://www.etsy.com/listing/256926390/moth-print-necktie-gift-for-men-neck-tie?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=moth&ref=sr_gallery_26), [one with gentlemanly dinosaurs](https://www.etsy.com/listing/183748265/gentlemen-dinosaurs-necktie-dinosaur-tie?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=dinosaur&ref=sr_gallery_1), and [one with Alice in Wonderland](https://www.etsy.com/listing/258878206/alice-in-wonderland-necktie-mad-hatter?ref=related-5)— and a [mug with an inappropriate fox pun on it](https://www.etsy.com/listing/227370089/for-fox-sake-coffee-mug?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=for%20fox%20sake&ref=sc_gallery_1&plkey=79f536628f7a76e9b915471f0a3d165a538eb038:227370089).You all know the one I’m talking about.”A couple of people laughs at the description, and after a second of suspense, Courfeyrac gave a friendly wave.

“It was me!I’m glad you liked it,” he announced with a wide grin.

Combeferre looked over at him with wide eyes and his mouth slightly opened. “I… I didn’t know that.Thank you.”

Courfeyrac just chuckled, glad he managed to actually keep it a secret.“You’re very welcome.”Combeferre continued to look at him, but everyone else was waiting expectantly, so Courfeyrac went on.

“I received the royal box set of [William Shakespeare’s Star Wars](http://www.goodreads.com/series/111908-william-shakespeare-s-star-wars).I’ve only started the first one, but they seem very promising,” Courfeyrac said, and everyone laughed as Bossuet threw up his hand eagerly, and the game continued.

~~~~~

It was Courfeyrac.Combeferre didn’t know why he hadn’t seen it before.He’d been so convinced it was Enjolras, but there was no real reason for that.Enjolras just knew him so well, and he’d only known Courfeyrac for a couple of months.Of course, they had gotten strangely close recently, which was lucky for Courfeyrac, seeing as he probably wouldn’t have known about Combeferre’s love of moths and puns if he hadn’t had those late night texting conversations.

“Hey Combeferre,” a voice spoke up from beside him after the game had ended and everyone had dispersed back into their conversations.He looked up from his phone that he had been reading to smile at Musichetta, who had taken a seat beside him.She looked just as stunning as she always did when Combeferre saw her, her curls a wild mess around her face, and her lips painted in a bright red.“Didn’t take you for someone to stay on your phone through a social event.”

Combeferre frowned guiltily and tucked it away in his back pocket.“I wasn’t trying to be rude.My sister sent me an article on college admissions and prejudice and I just thought I’d read it.”

Musichetta rolled her eyes and took a long sip of wine.“Of course you did.How are you liking the party?”

He glanced around appreciatively.“It looks much better than last year’s.”

Musichetta laughed, clearly remembering the previous holiday party.“Well I suppose Valjean couldn’t have known that possibly the worst people to be on decorations were Enjolras and Grantaire.”

“Who was in charge this year?”He asked interestedly.The decorations really were fantastic.There were several streamers and balloons, like always, but the best thing was the students artwork that was surrounding the cafeteria walls.

“Feuilly, I think, but I know Courfeyrac helped out a bunch as well.”Musichetta said after a moment’s thought.

Combeferre nodded, his smile fading a bit as he glanced down at his cider.He wasn’t sure why the idea of Courfeyrac as his Secret Santa bothered him so much.After all, he’d gotten him incredibly thoughtful gifts that very few people would ever think of buying, and here he is somehow offended by that fact.

“What’s that look for?”Musichetta asked suspiciously, and Combeferre quickly smiled again.

“Nothing.Just ready to start Winter Break,” he said, hoping he sounded more genuine than he felt.

“Uh huh,” Musichetta said, clearly unconvinced.“Let me guess.Courfeyrac?”

Combeferre considered denying it, but conceded instead.“How long have you known him?”

“We were close in college.We fell out of touch for a while, but he’s still as lovable as ever so it was pretty easy to get to know him again.”

“What was he like in college?”Combeferre asked, the thought causing him to smile again.

“Even more excitable than he is now, if you can believe it,” Musichetta laughed.“But really, he hasn’t changed too much.He’s always been overly thoughtful and caring.Especially when it came to gifts.I mean, he brags about being the king of gift exchanges, but honestly, he sort of deserves that title.He couldn’t give a bad gift to save his life.But I suppose you know all about that,” she said, nudging him slightly

“Yeah?” Combeferre asked, his mind whirring like crazy.“Oh, I mean, yes.I do.”

Musichetta narrowed her eyes, but thankfully didn’t comment.

_He couldn’t give a bad gift to save his life._

Courfeyrac hadn’t approached him the entire semester, and then they’d gotten their Secret Santa assignments, and everything had changed.He thought back to their first conversation, where Courfeyrac had basically interviewed him about what he did for fun.He’d mentioned the butterfly exhibit, and a month later he’d gotten a book of insects.How could he have been so oblivious?

He spotted Courfeyrac across the room, who was staring right back at him.When their eyes met, Courfeyrac simply lit up, throwing him a stunning grin, and Combeferre did his best to return it.The English teacher began to make his way over to him, and Combeferre turned to Musichetta, hopefully for an excuse, only to see that she’d disappeared in that magical way of hers.

Before he knew it, Courfeyrac was right in front of him, holding out a drink until Combeferre took it from him.“Moscow Mule?”He paused before admitting, “I asked Enjolras what your favorite drink was.”

“Oh, thank you,” Combeferre said politely before taking a sip.“It’s very good,” he continued when Courfeyrac looked at him expectantly.

“Good, I gave it my best effort,” Courfeyrac assured him with a wink.“Hey, so earlier, before Secret Santa, I think you were going to ask me something?You got cut off.”

Combeferre stilled, looking at his drink.Courfeyrac wasn’t wrong.He could still feel the words at the back of his throat. _I was wondering if you’d like to go on a date with me sometime._ He wanted to just get them out in the open, but something was holding him back.It wasn’t that he didn’t want to date Courfeyrac anymore.He was still the charming, thoughtful, interesting person he’d always been, and perhaps even more so, since he’d just gotten Combeferre an amazing gift.But the dread of rejection had just grown stronger, and Combeferre could no longer find the words.

“I was just wondering if you like curry.I found this new recipe, and I know you love to cook, so I thought you might want to try it out,” Combeferre said as casually as he could manage.

Courfeyrac didn’t respond for a moment, and he looked almost… disappointed?But before Combeferre could read into that, he was smiling again and nodding.

“Sure, that sounds great."

~~~~~

Courfeyrac wasn't sure why he was so disappointed.  He tried to focus on the rest of the party, but Combeferre's strange cooking question stuck in the back of his mind like glue.

"Hey Courfeyrac." Enjolras walked over to him where he was sipping hot cocoa and thinking to himself.

"Hey, I thought you were with 'Ferre."  Courfeyrac tried not to frown at his name.  It wasn't Combeferre's fault if he didn't return his feelings.  Besides, Courfeyrac hadn't even been rejected yet- he just hadn't been asked out.

"No, he just went home.  He seemed pretty tired." Enjolras's brows were drawn in slight distress, and Courfeyrac picked up on it.

"Is he alright?"  Courfeyrac asked, unable to keep the concern out of his voice.

"I don't know.  Sometimes he just gets really quiet and introverted, and then the next day everything's back to normal.  He's good at sorting himself out."  He paused.  "I'm glad you guys are hanging out.  You seem to be good for him."

Courfeyrac blushed at the statement and shrugged.  "I hope so."

"You are," Enjolras said firmly, causing Courfeyrac to look up.  Enjolras was frowning, like he couldn't really figure Courfeyrac out and it was irritating him.  "You know he's been a lot happier lately, right?"

"Isn't he always like that?" Courfeyrac asked, something akin to hope sparking in his chest.

"No.  I mean, he's always happy, but it's a quieter happy.  I know he probably seems really relaxed and calm all the time, but trust me, he's been more excited lately.  He usually doesn't laugh out loud, but he always does with you."  Enjolras said, slowing down at the end to emphasize the words, and Courfeyrac could practically taste the implications.

"Oh," he said quietly, and smile creeping onto his face.  "Oh."

~~~~~

A couple of days passed quickly until it was the last day of the semester.Combeferre had no finals to distribute that day, but he had always preferred to finish his grading at school rather than at home, so Friday found him sitting behind his desk as he listened to Christmas carols at a low volume on his computer.

“Combeferre?”Combeferre looked up, his heart clenching at how unsurprised he was to see Courfeyrac walking into his room.However, this time he seemed oddly hesitant, which didn’t seem like him at all.“Sorry.I know you’re probably really busy with finals and all, but could I talk to you for a second?”

Courfeyrac’s hopeful expression was enough to throw out every rejection that Combeferre could think of.“Sure, I guess.What is it?”

Courfeyrac made his way over to Combeferre’s desk, strangely silent.After a second, he spoke up.“I have something for you.”

Combeferre sighed.“Courfeyrac, I appreciate the sentiment, really I do, but you’ve given me the best stack of presents ever, and I don’t need anything else.”

“Those presents were from Courfeyrac: King of Gift Exchanges.This one’s… just from Courfeyrac,” he said, which didn’t make any sense.

“I didn’t get you anything,” Combeferre protested with a frown.

“That’s not what gifts are for.They’re not meant to be an obligation.So please just… just let me give you this?”Courfeyrac was basically pleading at this point, so Combeferre finally let down his guard.

“Alright.What is it?”He said, a bit wary.

“It’s kind of complicated.I mean, not really, but… I’m not sure if you’ll like it, and it’s okay if you don’t, really, I wouldn’t blame you at all—“

“Are you worried I’m going to return it or something?”Combeferre asked in confusion.For some reason, the question made Courfeyrac’s cheeks turn red and he tucked his hands into his pockets.

“Actually, that’s kind of the opposite of what I’m worried about.”Before Combeferre could figure out a response to that, Courfeyrac pulled something out of his jacket pocket and set it on the desk in front of the science teacher.“Happy holidays.”

It was a Hershey’s kiss.No scribbled notes, no chance it could be anything else, just a small piece of chocolate wrapped in tin foil.“What—“ Combeferre started, but couldn’t kind any words. He stared at Courfeyrac, who was smiling hesitantly.

“I told you; it’s complicated.”He took a deep breath.“I wanted to give you the real thing, but I wanted it to be a surprise, and it’s not good to just spring things that like on people, so I thought I’d give to you this as—“

“A kiss,” Combeferre finished breathlessly, figuring it out.“You want to kiss me?”

“Very much so,” Courfeyrac clarified.“It’s alright if you don’t want to.I just really liked hanging out with you, and I think you did too, and I love being friends with you, but I thought maybe we could try being something more.”

Combeferre didn’t know what to say.He stared at the candy for a few seconds before confessing, “I thought you were hanging out with me so you could pick out a Secret Santa present.”

Courfeyrac blushed again, and Combeferre wished he didn’t find that so endearing.“I was, at the beginning.Everyone deserves good presents, and I wanted to give you something great, but I didn’t know anything about you.But then I realized that you’re probably the coolest person I’ve ever met, and I didn’t want to stop spending time with you.”

Combeferre couldn’t hold back a smile.“Oh?”

“Yeah,” Courfeyrac admitted with a shrug.“I mean, I’m really not that bad at figuring people out, and I hardly needed to see you every day to know what to get you.”He paused.“Also, my wifi isn't that shitty.  I don't really need to text you for every question I come up with. ”

“I figured.  I thought you were just lazy.”Combeferre was smiling widely now, and Courfeyrac was doing the same.

"So?"  Courfeyrac asked after a second.  "What do you think of the present?"

"I think," Combeferre said slowly, mulling over his words, "that, as much as I like chocolate, I might like a taste of the real thing."

"I think that can be arranged."  Courfeyrac continued to smile, already slowly leaning over the desk to press his lips to Combeferre's.  It was a chaste kiss, nothing but lips touching lips, but it was wonderful all the same.

Combeferre let his eyes close, only opening them once Courfeyrac pulled back again.  "At the holiday party I was going to ask you out on a date," he blurted out suddenly.  "I just got nervous."

"Yeah?"  Courfeyrac asked, straightening up.

"Yeah," Combeferre confirmed with a small smile.  "You know, there's this ice skating rink by my house.  I don't suppose you'd be interested in that?"

Courfeyrac grinned and leaned forward again.  "Just as long as you promise to hold my hands the whole time."

**Author's Note:**

> Jo, just so you know, your Courferre headcanons on tumblr kept me going as I was writing this :)
> 
> Yes, the most difficult part of this was coming up with gifts. I am most definitely not the King of Gift Exchanges.
> 
> If anyone cares, here is the full list of teachers and the Secret Santa's:
> 
> Courfeyrac- Pre-AP English 1 —> Combeferre  
> Combeferre- Biology/ AP Bio —> Joly  
> Joly- School Nurse —> Bahorel  
> Bahorel- Spanish, Track Coach —> Cosette  
> Cosette- Sculpture/Ceramics, Art 1 —> Feuilly  
> Feuilly- Tech Theatre —> Jehan  
> Jehan- Theatre —> Bossuet  
> Bossuet- English 3 —> Courfeyrac  
> Enjolras- AP US History —> Grantaire  
> Grantaire- Art —> Marius  
> Marius- German —> Enjolras
> 
> Come find me on tumblr, I'm ghost-grantaire!


End file.
